Dying Matters Week
Dying Matters Awareness Week 2025 will take place from Monday 5th to Sunday 11th May and the theme this year is ‘The Culture of Dying Matters’.
What is Dying Matters Week?
Every year, Dying Matters Week raises awareness of and encourages people to talk about death, dying and grief.
The Dying Matters campaign is run by Hospice UK and each year has a new theme that aims to open up conversations about a subject that many avoid or find it hard to speak about.
Organisations across the country are encouraged to host events and share information that help people talk about death in a way that works for them, start conversations they might have been avoiding, and get over their worries about saying the wrong thing.
You can find out more about the Dying Matters campaign on the Hospice UK website.
Dying Matters Week 2025: The Culture of Dying Matters
This year’s theme is ‘The Culture of Dying Matters’. Hospice UK are encouraging people to talk about how they and others in and outside of their culture feel, talk about, and deal with death and dying.
There are of course differences in the ways that different cultures and faiths approach and mark death and dying. Not everyone will have the same attitudes, views and practices, and some people will experience, show and deal with grief in different ways. However, there may also be some similarities in the way we all deal with death and dying that bring us together.
Understanding these different approaches is important and can help us all reflect on our own attitudes towards death, dying and grief. There is a variety of information on this page to help you engage with this topic and get involved with Dying Matters Week 2025.
Did you know?
Hospice UK asked 10 people from different faiths, cultures and backgrounds some questions about death and dying. They found that:
- Some believe that death, and grief, connects them to their ancestors.
- Some say that death is intertwined with their faith, and some say it isn’t.
- Some believe that it is important to spend time with the body of the person who has died.
- Some say that remembering the deceased is one of the most important things you can do after they have died.
- But many say that death and dying is still not talked about as openly as it should be.
How you can get involved in Dying Matters Week
There are a variety of ways you can get involved in Dying Matters Week, including hosting or attending an event, watching Dying Matters Week content, or helping to raise awareness by sharing Dying Matters Week content and your own stories and experiences of death, dying or grief.
Hospice UK have created a resource pack to help provide all the information and support you need to get involved.
If you are hosting an event, Hospice UK have created a form where you can submit the details. They will then list it on their website for free so people can find a Dying Matters Week event near to them. To find an event near you, visit the events page on the Hospice UK website.
Dying Matters Week in Coventry and Warwickshire
Organisations across Coventry and Warwickshire are hosting a number of events to facilitate conversations about how different cultures approach death, dying and grief.
| Event | Date | Location | Event Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| RUGBY PLACE | |||
| Dying Matters Week - Cross Cultural Conversation Group |
Wednesday 7th May 2025 |
St Andrew’s Church, Rugby |
Drop in - no need to book |
| NORTH WARWICKSHIRE PLACE | |||
| Community Conversation | Tuesday 6th May 2025 12.30-2pm |
George Eliot Hospital | Open discussion and resource development. More information is available via this leaflet. |
| SOUTH WARWICKSHIRE PLACE | |||
| Lunch and Learn - Heart of England Natural Burial Ground talk | Thursday 8th May 2025 2.30-3.30pm | The Shakespeare Hospice Stratford upon Avon |
Talk |
| Arts project - Pebble painting | Running through Dying Matters Week | The Shakespeare Hospice Stratford upon Avon |
Drop in |
| Letters to Heaven/Loved ones Shipston/Kineton/Wellesbourne | Monday 5th May 2025 | TBC | Launch of Letters to Loved ones |
| Poetry reading | Running through Dying Matters Week | Virtual | Shared on social media platforms |
| Haiku book - Words to live and die by | N/A | N/A | Book of beautiful words collated from last years DMW |
| Oakley Wood Crematorium Open Day | Saturday 10 May 2025 | Oakley Wood Crematorium, Oakley Wood Rd, Bishop's Tachbrook, Leamington Spa CV33 9QP | Open day : tours at 10:30, 11:30 and 12:30 on the day and providing refreshments in the South Chapel waiting room. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions about the services provided and how they operate. |
| COVENTRY PLACE | |||
| Reminiscence Cafe for bereaved to talk | Wednesday 7th May 2025 | Earlsdon Retirement Village | 2.00-3.30pm, Reminiscence Café More information is available via this leaflet. |
| Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT) Dying Matters event |
Thursday 8th May 12.30-2pm |
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, Wayside House, Wilson's Lane, Coventry CV6 6NY |
The event will be sharing experiences and reflections on death and dying, lighting candles. |
| Crossing Thresholds Café - Exploring death and dying within different cultures | Saturday 10th May 2025 10am-12pm |
Burbage Suite upstairs Belgrade Theatre |
This year’s theme is about cross-cultural conversations, so we will be presenting and aligning the event to that theme and using the opportunity to raise awareness about relevant support and organisations in the local area. Click here to read the leaflet for this event. |
| Capturing Cultural Experiences of Death, Dying and Bereavement | Thursday 8th May 2025 1-3pm |
UHCW Hospital Main Entrance |
Dying Matters conversation |
In addition to the above Dying Matters Week events, The Omega Course has a number of sessions designed to support people with having conversations about getting older and planning for old age. Topics include facing mortality, living well, practicalities and planning, listening skills for communication, and supporting other people. You can find out more via this leaflet.
Additional Reading
A list of books has been produced that can support people with thinking and having conversations about death and grief, for both adults and children, which you can find attached here.